Interviewed by Jules Lavalee
Chef Serge Krikorian and his wife, Mary, started their catering business in 2002. Having catered thousands of events over the years as Dinner’s Ready, they launched Vibrant Occasions Catering, a new name that more accurately depicts the level of food and service provided at weddings and social events. As we approach the holidays, Vibrant Occasions Catering will bring Southern hospitality to family gatherings and corporate events. Chef Serge Krikorian with the penchant for developing unique recipes, especially sauces, offers a delectable Cuban Mojo, a citrus-marinated pork butt that is braised until fork-tender and served with a mojo sauce (similar to the pork in the sandwiches Jon Favreau made out of a food truck in the movie, Chef), Smokey Mushroom Chicken, Marinated, roasted chicken breast topped with sauteed mushrooms, smoked provolone cheese, and applewood-smoked bacon crumble, Shrimp and Grits: Blackened wild-caught gulf shrimp and spicy browned butter corn relish over cheesy stone-ground grits. Pork Shanks: Merlot-braised pork shank served with roasted garlic Yukon Gold mashed potatoes, maple-glazed heirloom carrots, roasted broccoli and a salad with toasted crostini to name a few.
Chef Serge Krikorian hails from the quaint town of Benton, Arkansas His southern hospitality paired with his penchant for developing unique recipes, especially sauces, has garnered his reputation as foodies’ fan favorite in his community and now on the
YouTube space, “Cooking with the Kriks.”
Jules: Your elegant cuisine can be seen at weddings and special events. Can you share a few memorable occasions?
Shalae Byrd Photography
Serge: I keep saying that I am going to write a book about all of the things that I have seen, heard, and had to do at weddings, but honestly, I don’t think anyone would believe half of it. There was the time that we were at an outdoor wedding, and during the ceremony, the power went off. None of the wedding party was aware because they were outside.
I had my wife bring my personal generator, and we hooked it up and were able to get lights in the venue, music from the DJ, and power for the catering. No one but us, the DJ, and the venue owners knew what was going on until the bridal party was leaving and the power came back on. They thought it was just romantic lighting. Our goal at any event is to make sure that if something goes wrong, and inevitably something will eventually go wrong, that no one is negatively impacted by it. We work with the other vendors, and they work with us to make sure that if any of us has an issue, we pull together to make sure that we resolve it before it affects our clients.
Shalae Byrd Photography
Jules: “Cooking with the Kriks” is cooking up southern hospitality. How did this all start for you?
Serge: Cooking with the Kriks started when my middle son, Brian (who never met a camera he didn’t love), and I decided to do a cooking demonstration and put it on YouTube. Brian has a passion for making pizzas and intends to reopen our carryout and delivery pizza business with his updated take on our pizzas. The reaction we received to that first episode was so positive that we started bringing in local celebrities and asking them what dishes they would like to learn how to make and then teaching them how to make them. Things that I take for granted that everyone should know how to do, like slicing a bell pepper, are not necessarily things the general public knows, and they love to learn new cooking skills.
Shalae Byrd Photography
Nashville Hot Chicken Wings w/ DJ Jellybean from CAE | Cooking with the Kriks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LryP3bDaXXY
Chicken Alfredo Lasagna w/Joe + JoAnna from CAE- Cooking with the Kriks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulhN7XbJwYs&t=41s
Kung Pao Chicken w/Tanarah + Steven from Tanarah Luxe Floral- Cooking with the
Kriks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QutBDjCKaZo
Recent events-Vibrant Occasions Catering catered The Finest Gala benefiting The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation with more info here: https://happeningnext.com/event/the-finest-gala-eid3a087kwah8
Stay tuned for the Influencer brunch to celebrate the first anniversary of Cooking with the Kriks with influencers who have been prior guests or are scheduled to be a future guest on an upcoming show.
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